Costache Negruzzi National College

Costache Negruzzi National College Colegiul Național „Costache Negruzzi” Liceul Internat „Costache Negruzzi”
Location
4 Toma Cozma St. Iași Romania
Information
Type	Public, Day and Boarding Secondary School
Motto	Prin noi, vei fi tu cel mai bun! (Through us, you will be the best!)
Established	3 October 1895
Grades	5–12
Gender	Coeducation (All-boys initially)
Age range	10–19
Number of students	ca. 1,000
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	White, blue
Website	School web site

The Costache Negruzzi National College (Colegiul Național „Costache Negruzzi”) in Iași is one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania. Founded in 1895 as the Boarding High School of Iași, it was named after writer and politician Costache Negruzzi.^[1][2]

The Iași Boarding High School opened on October 3, 1895,^[3] following the initiative of Spiru Haret, who intended to establish a model high school. According to the school's official website, "the inauguration took place in an imposing building, one of the largest and most beautiful in Iași, which could be seen from afar, rising in the highest part of the city, on the shoulder of Copou Hill, in the middle of the gardens that surround it on all sides".

The high school was "to form a cultural elite", which is why teachers already noted for their professionalism and talent in several schools were recruited; at the same time, the most promising children were invited from all corners of the Old Kingdom and Transylvania.^[4]

Initially, the high school had a single, generalist profile. Following the adoption of the 1898 Law on Secondary and Higher Education (the "Spiru Haret" Law), two sections were introduced: Classical and Modern. A third section was established in 1911. On June 22, 1899, a decree was signed by which the institution would bear the name Liceul Internat "Costache Negruzzi".^[5] In 1902, the first seven-grade class graduated, and in 1904 the first eight-grade class.

In the decades following World War II, the educational process suffered as a result of the imposition of the Soviet model, characterized by the reduction to 10 grades, modifications to the curricula, and attempts, especially in the 1950s, to suppress authentic national values. The high school, viewed as the exponent of the so-called "bourgeois elite", was subject to political pressure on teachers, through forced replacements and secondments, and the abolition of a particularly valuable library of approximately 10,000 volumes in 1954.^[4] During the Stalinist period, the name of the high school was changed several times, becoming "Boys' High School No. 2" (1949-1952), "10-Year School No. 2 for Boys" (1952-1954) and "Secondary School No. 2 for Boys" (1954-1956).^[5]

However, the same author notes, "despite the political interference in the 1950s, the high school maintained its prestige and the boarding spirit was not lost, through the efforts and exemplary dedication of the teachers and students who honored its name".^[4] In 1956, the high school (partially) regained its name of Liceul de băieți nr. 2 (1949-1952), "Școala de 10 ani nr. 2 de băieți "Costache Negruzzi", and since 1977, Liceul de matematică-fizică "Costache Negruzzi".^[6]

In the 1990s, the high school returned to its original name, reclaiming and consolidating its former status as a prominent institution of education in Iași. In 1998, it became Colegiul "Costache Negruzzi". In 2010 it obtained the title of "European School", and since 2015, it has been called Colegiul Național "Costache Negruzzi", Iași.^[5][6]

Published on the official website until 2017.^[7]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National College "Costache Negruzzi" in Iași.

• (in Romanian) Official site
• A history of 125 years: "C. Negruzzi" Boarding School (in Romanian)
• Jassy – The Boarding High School postcard

47°10′22.9″N 27°34′10.2″E / 47.173028°N 27.569500°E / 47.173028; 27.569500